[Not Applicable]
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for a golf club head composed of plies of pre-preg sheets. More specifically, the present invention relates to a bladder-mold manufacturing method for a golf club head composed of plies of pre-preg sheets.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the first (if not the first) disclosures of a golf club head composed of a plurality of plies of a pre-preg material is Great Britain Patent Application Number 1201648 which was filed in 1967 on behalf of William Charles Carlton.
In 1984, U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,707 issued to Hayashi et al., for a Golf Club Head Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic, based on a Japanese Patent Application originally filed in 1982. The Hayashi Patent discloses surrounding a core with a fiber reinforced fabric to create a golf club head with a proper center of gravity.
Another disclosure is U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,580 to Tomita et al., for a Wood-Type Golf Club Head, based on a Japanese Patent Application originally filed in 1983. The Tomita Patent discloses a durable golf club head having an outer shell composed of a fiber reinforced plastic material, a foam center core, and an intermediate shell formed of a thermoplastic resin material.
Yet another disclosure is U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,826 to Nishigaki et al., for Golf Club Head. The Nishigaki Patent discloses body composed of a carbon resin layer and a cast resin layer with a face insert block composed of a ceramic material.
Still another disclosure is U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,185 to Kurokawa, for Wood-Type Core-Shell Golf Club Heads, based on a Japanese Patent Application originally filed in 1984. The Kurokawa Patent discloses a golf club head composed of a foam core and a shell composed of a material fiber reinforced plastic having long and short fibers.
Yet another disclosure is U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,616 to Fernandez, for Golf Club. The Fernandez Patent discloses a club head shell composed resin impregnated fibers and ceramic particles within the resin to provide a high strength shell.
Yet another disclosure is U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,425 to Niskanen et al., for a Composite Golf Club Head. The Niskanen Patent discloses a club head composed of a metal matrix composite of a ceramic matrix composite.
When a golf club head strikes a golf ball, large impacts are produced that load the club head face and the golf ball. Most of the energy is transferred from the head to the golf ball, however, some energy is lost as a result of the collision. The golf ball is typically composed of polymer cover materials (such as ionomers) surrounding a rubber-like core. These softer polymer materials having damping (loss) properties that are strain and strain rate dependent which are on the order of 10-100 times larger than the damping properties of a metallic club striking plate. Thus, during impact most of the energy is lost as a result of the high stresses and deformations of the golf ball (0.001 to 0.20 inches), as opposed to the small deformations of the metallic club face (0.025 to 0.050 inches). A more efficient energy transfer from the club head to the golf ball could lead to greater flight distances of the golf ball.
The generally accepted approach has been to increase the stiffness of the club head face to reduce metal or club head deformations. However, this leads to greater deformations in the golf ball, and thus increases in the energy transfer problem.
Some have recognized the problem and disclosed possible solutions. An example is Campau, U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,965, for a Method Of Making Iron Golf Clubs With Flexible Impact Surface, which discloses a club having a flexible and resilient face plate with a slot to allow for the flexing of the face plate. The face plate of Campau is composed of a ferrous material, such as stainless steel, and has a thickness in the range of 0.1 inches to 0.125 inches.
Another example is Eggiman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,261, for a Golf Club Head With Elastically Deforming Face And Back Plates, which discloses the use of a plurality of plates that act in concert to create a spring-like effect on a golf ball during impact. A fluid is disposed between at least two of the plates to act as a viscous coupler.
Yet another example is Jepson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,474, for a Golf Club With A Polyurethane Insert. Jepson discloses that the polyurethane insert has a hardness between 40 and 75 shore D.
Still another example is Inamori, U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,023, for a Golf Club Head With Ceramic Face Plate, which discloses using a face plate composed of a ceramic material having a high energy transfer coefficient, although ceramics are usually harder materials. Chen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,813 for a Golf Club Head, discloses using multiple layers in the face to absorb the shock of the golf ball. One of the materials is a non-metal material.
Lu, U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,814, for a Hollow Club Head With Deflecting Insert Face Plate, discloses a reinforcing element composed of a plastic or aluminum alloy that allows for minor deflecting of the face plate which has a thickness ranging from 0.01 to 0.30 inches for a variety of materials including stainless steel, titanium, KEVLAR(copyright), and the like. Yet another Campau invention, U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,248, for a Golf Club Having Insert Capable Of Elastic Flexing, discloses a wood club composed of wood with a metal insert.
The Rules of Golf, established and interpreted by the United States Golf Association (USGA) and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews, set forth certain requirements for a golf club head. The requirements for a golf club head are found in Rule 4 and Appendix II. A complete description of the Rules of Golf are available on the USGA web page at www.usga.org. Although the Rules of Golf do not expressly state specific parameters for a golf club face, Rule 4-1e prohibits the face from having the effect at impact of a spring with a golf ball. In 1998, the USGA adopted a test procedure pursuant to Rule 4-1e which measures club face COR. This USGA test procedure, as well as procedures like it, may be used to measure club face COR.
Although the prior art has disclosed many club head composed of composite materials, the prior art has failed to provide a golf club head composed of a composite material that is lightweight, forgiving and has a high coefficient of restitution.
The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a golf club head that is composed of a composite material and is forgiving while providing better performance than other composite golf club heads.
One aspect of the present invention is a method for producing a golf club head composed of plies of pre-preg sheets. The method begins by creating a face component composed of plies of pre-preg sheets. A crown component composed of plies of pre-preg sheets is created next and then a sole component composed of plies of pre-preg sheets is created using the method. The face, crown and sole components are then assembled to create an assembled unit with an inflatable bladder located within a hollow interior of the assembled unit. The assembled unit is then pre-compacted to create a pre-compacted unit. Finally, the pre-compacted unit is bladder molded to create a molded golf club head.
Having briefly described the present invention, the above and further objects, features and advantages thereof will be recognized by those skilled in the pertinent art from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.